Saturday, September 5, 2009

My 8 month old son is constantly spitting out his binky. Constantly. I've seen binky leashes (or- pacifier holders, ropes, bungees, whatever you want to call them) at Target before. I think I even have one floating around here somewhere, from when my oldest was a baby. I've thought about buying them at least 100 times, usually at 6am when I'm carrying a grumpy little man down the stairs, and slipping on a still-covered-in-slobber pacifier that he launched out of his mouth full force for no reason better than "I do what I want, Mom".

And really, how many times have you been out in public, had to bend over and a pick up a newly dirtied pacifier off the ground, wiped it off with your shirt or fingertips, and then put it right back into your baby's mouth? Honestly, no shame. We're all moms here. I think at first, in the early weeks, or with our first borns, we freak out and demand that it be sanitized before getting it even an inch away from baby's face. But we learn... baby eats worse things off of the kitchen floor every night, a little bark dust on the tip of the bink won't kill him. That doesn't mean we like doing it though, right? Lets at least give ourselves that much.

So I got fed up, tired of walking all over silicone nipples and plastic handles, and hopped onto Etsy to search for a handmade "pacifier holder". Upon doing this, I felt silly. Was I seriously going to pay $5, plus shipping, for something so simple? I wanted to buy at least 3, and the cost was adding up fast. And then it dawned on me...

Duh, Tia. Make your own!So I did.

I'll admit, it took me a little bit of messing around before I got it right. I wasted a few inches of ribbon, threw away a snap or two, but in the end, my son had a SUPER cute binky leash, just in time for our trip to the Dallas World Aquarium (read about that here, if you'd like).

See, pretty cute, right?

Well, lets get to it then! Grab your craft supplies, or.. make a shopping list to get some (I didn't have all of these things on hand, I had to make a trip to Hobby Lobby) and lets make some binky leashes!!

-Ribbon. The cute kind. The thicker the better. Do not use sheer.-Scissors.-Ruler/measuring tape. Either will work.-Snaps. These can be purchased for around $2 at your local craft store.-Snap setter. I use a crop-a-dile multi purpose craft tool, but you can pick up a basic one for much less, around $7, like this one that I found on Amazon.-A lighter. Obviously, you don't want to be playing with a flame around kids, or in some cases, husbands or boyfriends, so... please use caution. If you're not comfortable using a lighter, there is a no-fray solution you can pick up in the fabric/sewing section at your craft store.-Suspender clips. These are less than $1 each. Stock up.

There. Now that you've got all of your supplies, find a nice wide open space, light a scented candle, turn on some music, and get your craft on.

1. Measure out 12 inches of ribbon. Actually, might want to make that 14 inches if this is your first one. That way if you mess up, its okay, you can snip off your boo boo's, and your leash will still be long enough. Take your lighter and gently (very cautiously, so as not to burn your ribbon) melt the ends, so that they don't fray. Run your finger over the ends after this is finished, kind of pick at it a little, just to make sure that they're good to go.

2. Take the poky end of your snap, position it on the end of your ribbon. Push the spikes through the fabric with your fingers, or if its too uncomfortable for your skin, you can use a pencil eraser or something similar.

3. Flip your ribbon over, attach your snap (I do this while fastened, otherwise I end up with a smushed snap, and I have to cut that part of the ribbon off and start all over again).

4. Very carefully, without dropping it (hah, yeah right, I chased at least 20 of these little guys all over the hard wood floors when doing this), set it all up on your snap setter, and lock it into place.

5. Measure down anywhere in between 2-2.5 inches of ribbon, place another poky side of a snap into place, and repeat step 4.

6. Slide your suspender clip into place (you'll have a hard time getting it past the second set of snaps later, so its best to do it now), press your snap closed. You're halfway done!

Yeah, sometimes mistakes happen. No big deal. I messed up twice before I got the hang of it. My snaps got smushed. Good thing I bought extras, right? I actually got really frustrated, which is why I suggested lighting a scented candle, haha. It gets easier, the more you do.

7. Repeat steps 2-5 on the other end of the ribbon, making the gap between snaps a little bit wider. You might want to put your binky in there to measure just how wide to make your ribbon gap. Did that make sense? If you're tripping over my words like I am, hopefully the picture can speak for itself.

8. Do this over and over again, until you've made as made all the binky leashes you desire. Attach a pacifier. And you're done!

I really had a lot of fun making my binky leashes, and now I've got a few extras to give out as baby shower gifts and things. Hopefully this tutorial was useful for some of you as well :)

I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

So far i am Binky free but Kylan gets fussy in the car and i was thinking of getting him some. I will think of you while I light my pumpkin pie scented candle and try not to get snaps all over the floor.

I love this Tia!! I am actually going to adapt it to make mitten suspenders for both my kids, since we can't keep mittens/gloves together! Maybe I'll even make a pair for myself since I recently left my brand new gloves at a store lol!

I found suspender clips at a Hancocks store in the notions section, and their website carries them also. Also, I wanted to pass along that I read on another site that the total length of the binky leash should be no longer than six inches from end to end, for safety. I don't know how factual that is, but it does seem logical too much length could pose a danger for entanglement or choking.

Hi there! These are wonderful. Going to make my own and I was going to get a snap setter but I saw that you used a crop-o-dile! I have one haha! So how did you use the crop-o-dile? What settings did you have it on? Thanks so much!!!

married, mother of two girls: addicted to blogging about her family, friends,and what she's had for breakfast: sucker for a good regency love story: dreams about being a published author and illustrator. blogs at Living the Creative Life

married, mother of two girls: the snarky mama, when she's not chasing children, she is painting clothing or making korker bows: actress, master of creative punishments. blogs at Winklepots and Random Thoughts

married, mother of two, one girl and one boy: an educated, full time working mom who is learning how to juggle a work life and a family life: a self proclaimed "geek" who loves all things science fiction and fantasy. Always on the go, but loves to find time for jewelry making and sewing. blogs at Alygatr's Everywhere

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married, mother of two boys: enjoys naps and using the bathroom without children bothering her, can usually be found lugging around a basket of laundry or with her nose burried in a book: enjoys paper crafting, jewelry making, and pretending that she can sew. blogs at Oh Mandie